User blog:Juanmaseta/Tutorials: How to Write Science Fiction
¡Qué onda! First, I would like to tell you all about this project. The tutorials pages here in Fan Fiction Library are articles dedicated to teaching and sharing knowledge about writing in general, be it prose, poetry or libretto. These pages will be written by the current teachers, who will also be eager to help you with your writing needs. So, today's tutorial will be the basics of science fiction. :::: Most of the details and plot lines of science fiction cover the three most important aspects of the genre: speculation, discovery and reality. ''The first one of these, speculation, shows us how the human mind can use its thirst for knowledge and control over others to make up a space and a time where these needs, or wishes, can blend in nicely with actual facts. We can take Jules Verne's wonderful ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth ''as an example. Professor Lindenbrock is shown to have previous knowledge of rocks and minerals, as mentioned by his nephew Axel when describing his house/museum. This studies, along with his speculations about the language in the manuscript and the overall layout of the volcano, make for a perfect science fiction tale. Why? Because, as mentioned before, it mixes the three elements and makes a smooth path for them to roll on. A very common topic for science fiction plot lines to touch is the idea of '''mankind entering God's domain. '''It is often accompanied by themes of arrogance, pride and ambition. This topic can be perfectly seen in ''We Remember it For You Wholesale, ''a short story by Phillip K. Dick. This amazing story deals with a company called REKAL, specialized in implating memories to make you feel like you really experienced something. In this particular event, Douglas Quail, a simple clerk, has the desire of going to Mars as a secret agent; so he pays the company to implant a memory that truly makes him feel like he actually went. However, REKAL is not able to actually withdraw the memory of him ''wishing to go, ''which makes the whole experience a complete bust. The company gives him a refund and sends him back home, as the original memories start returning. Let's not go into much detail here, as I don't want you to get lost. I'll just say that at the end, after much battle, Douglas ends up being the most powerful man on Earth, and the government is unable to kill him. Let's center that idea. Douglas is the most '''powerful man on Earth. '''With these powers, he is able to mess with God's creation, making life unstable for humans, as their creator is not the most powerful thing anymore. This also brings a '''punishment, '''as Douglas is unable to die or be killed at the end, remaining a monster forever. The same device can be seen in Mary Shelley's ''Frankenstein, ''which is considered one of the first pieces of literature to use this arc. Victor Frankenstein messes with God's creation and powers, creating a living thing made of dead humans; which according to religious texts, is the creator's occupation. After having a few ethical debates with himself and others, Victor is punished, as the monster turns his life to shreds after Victor quits the project he had in mind, which was making a companion for the monster himself. 'Thank you for being a part of Fan Fiction Library, and until next time!''' Category:Blog posts